Absolute quantum theory (after Chang, Lewis, Minic and Takeuchi), and a road to quantum deletion (Q2310981)

Summary: In a recent paper, Chang et al. have proposed studying ``quantum \(\mathbb{F}_{u n}^{\prime\prime}\): the \(q \mapsto 1\) limit of modal quantum theories over finite fields \(\mathbb{F}_q\), motivated by the fact that such limit theories can be naturally interpreted in classical quantum theory. In this letter, we first make a number of rectifications of statements made in that paper. For instance, we show that quantum theory over \(\mathbb{F}_1\) does have a natural analogon of an inner product, and so orthogonality is a well-defined notion, contrary to what was claimed in Chang et al. Starting from that formalism, we introduce time evolution operators and observables in quantum \(\mathbb{F}_{u n}\), and we determine the corresponding unitary group. Next, we obtain a typical no-cloning result in the general realm of quantum \(\mathbb{F}_{u n}\). Finally, we obtain a no-deletion result as well. Remarkably, we show that we can perform quantum deletion by \textit{almost unitary operators}, with a probability tending to 1. Although we develop the construction in quantum \(\mathbb{F}_{u n}\), it is also valid in any other quantum theory (and thus also in classical quantum theory in complex Hilbert spaces).